To receive
any declarations of disclosable
pecuniary interests from Members in respect of any item to be
considered at the meeting.

Notes:

·In line with the Relevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interests) Regulations 2012,
declarations may relate to the interest of the member, or the
member’s spouse or civil partner, or a person with whom the
member is living as husband or wife, or a person with whom the
member is living as if they were civil partners and the member is
aware they have the interest.

·Members need only disclose interests not currently
listed on the Register of Disclosable
Pecuniary Interests.

·Members must notify the Monitoring Officer of any
interests disclosed at the meeting so they may be added to the
Register.

·Members are reminded that they must not participate
in any item where they have a disclosable pecuniary interest.

1. The deadline for Member’s questions
is 12.00pm four working days before the meeting (11 December
2018).

2. The deadline for public questions is seven
days before the meeting (10 December 2018).

3. The deadline for petitions was 14 days
before the meeting, and no petitions have been received.

Minutes:

1.
The Board received questions from members of the public and
responses were tabled at the meeting (attached as Annex 1).

2.
Concerns were raised by the Board with the level of response in
dealing with concerning member’s benefits issues and
recommended action to improve operational processes and the
timeline of payments.

Actions/ further
information to be provided:

The Vice-Chairman to provide the public
questioners with the Board’s responses.

1.
The Board agreed it would be useful to have some training organised
to refresh and develop a wider understanding of the
Firefighters’ Pension Scheme. The Pensions Service Delivery
Manager agreed to explore training opportunities for the Board.

Actions/ further
information to be provided:

The Pensions Service Delivery Manager to
explore training opportunities for the Board.

1.
The Pensions Service Delivery Manager introduced the report and
provided the Board with an update of performance and current
issues.

2.
It was noted that work was underway in respect of data quality
scores. detailed reports identifying areas of improvement would be
provided by Heywood’s.

3.
To enable the Board to keep track of key dates and progress the
Pensions Service Delivery Manager agreed to share the scheme
calendar.

4.
It was highlighted that the Member Self Service Portal was still in
development and would require further testing before it was
launched to members of the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme.

5.
There was a discussion around the ongoing issue with the retained
firefighters’ option to elect to join the modified section of
the FPS 2006. The Board noted that legal advice had been sought on
how to correct the matter and that the resolution of this breach
had been prioritised by the Administration team.

6.
It was noted that the failure to comply with overriding legislation
and statutory guidance on this matter was not a country wide issue
and therefore any anticipated resolution from the Home Office was
highly unlikely. It was further noted actuarial advice would need
to be sought to determine how to resolve reaching an arrangement or
compensating those affected.

7.
It was highlighted that there would be different solutions for the
different types of members affected by this breach. The Board noted
that deferred members would be the most complex category to
determine going forward.

8.
The Pensions Lead Manager agreed to share the Service’s work
plan at the Board’s next meeting to demonstrate progress in
resolving the issue.

9.
The Board were informed that Surrey’s Internal Audit
Department were reviewing how the issue arose and make
recommendations for improvement.

10.
The Chairman agreed to take the meeting into Part 2, private.

Recommendation: That under Section 100(A) of the Local
Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for
the following items of business on the grounds that they involve
the likely disclosure of exempt information under the relevant
paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

Actions/ further
information to be provided:

The Pensions Service Delivery Manager to share
the Pensions Scheme calendar with the Board.

The Board to receive a report from
Heywoods on Data Quality Scores.

The Pensions Lead Manager to provide the Board
with the Service’s work plan to rectify the issue concerning
the Modified Scheme 2006.

Purpose of the report: Provide
the Board with an update on the progress of this important
project.

Minutes:

Declarations of
interest:

None

Witnesses:

Clare Chambers, Pensions Service Delivery
Manager

Michael Mann, Pensions Lead Manager

Key points raised
during the discussion:

1.
The Lead Pensions Manager provided an update on the guaranteed
minimum pensions (GMP) reconciliation exercise, informing the Board
that the number of GMP discrepancies submitted to HMRC (National
Insurance Services to Pensions Industry) was reducing.

2.
It was highlighted HMRC were expecting a large number of queries to
be registered with them on a national basis and as a consequence,
issue resolution would take place through to April 2019.

3.
The Board noted some decisions would need to be made on how to
progress certain issues and these would be presented as the project
developed. The Board noted that resolution of discrepancies would
follow advice from the Home Office and LGA.

Purpose of the report: To
ensure good governance and compliance with the Pensions
Regulator’s Code of Practice the Board is asked to review the
Surrey Firefighters’ Pension Scheme (FFPS) Risk Register.

Due to the increased activity surrounding the
Firefighters’ Pension Scheme the Board decided it would be
appropriate to have quarterly meetings in 2019 and agreed there
next meeting to be held in March 2019. As a result of agreeing two
additional meetings next year the Board were asked to reconsider
the provision of substitute members.